Labour MP Raymond Huo to retire at upcoming election

Labour MP Raymond Huo to retire at September election, meaning there'll be no Chinese representation in Parliament unless a new candidate becomes an MP

21st Jul 20, 3:33pm by Jenée Tibshraeny

Raymond Huo. Photo from Labour Party website.

Labour list MP Raymond Huo has announced his retirement from politics at the upcoming election.

Huo was first elected to Parliament in 2008, and has served either full or part terms in each of the last four Parliaments.

“I am proud to have been Labour’s first Chinese born MP,” Huo said.

“I had submitted my nomination form for this election within Labour’s internal timeframe but the subsequent lockdown enabled me to spend more time with my family and reflect on my political career.

“For too long my family has been secondary and the recent lockdown provided an opportunity for me to reflect on my future.

“Over recent weeks I have spoken to friends, my team, supporters and the community about my intention to retire from Parliament and can now make that decision public.”

Huo is the second Chinese MP to announce their resignation from Parliament in two weeks.

National’s Jian Yang on July 10 announced he would retire at the election, saying politics was “demanding” and he looked forward to spending more time with his family.

Huo went on to say: “I’ve enjoyed my time in Parliament, especially chairing the Justice Select Committee this term including overseeing the public hearings on the End of Life Choices Bill.

“One of the highlights of my parliamentary career was working on the establishment of the New Zealand Chinese Language Week which has been running since 2014.

“I am proud to be leaving politics with a new Chinese candidate Nasi Chen gaining a strong list position and with a real chance of entering parliament after the election.”

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68 Comments

by CourtJester | 21st Jul 20, 3:36pm 1595302604

Labour and National both trying to distance themselves from CCP (at least publicly). Good move.

by sharetrader | 21st Jul 20, 3:46pm 1595303209

the day after Jacinda disagrees with CCP he retires, or was he pushed?

by Lanthanide | 21st Jul 20, 4:35pm 1595306112

As was it a push by Labour or a push by CCP?

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 5:06pm 1595308012

Why would CCP push for this? (Not saying they haven't). Are we seeing a sea-change in the CCP's approach to the world - focusing inwards or getting more hostile?
Consensus will likely grow that wuflu was a lab-generated accident in coming months (more and more virologists voicing this opinion), and media and politicians will stop running PRC propaganda. The world will turn stridently against the PRC; I'd expect them to lose most of their off-shore assets in reparations over coming years. A new cold war is starting.

by Noncents | 21st Jul 20, 6:10pm 1595311813

It would definitely have been CCP.

1. It's no coincidence that National MP also did the same. National would never get rid of an MP with that sort of "value".
2. Labour don't have the guts to push anyone (hence we are stuck with the current mob of no-hopers)
3. I would imagine CPP have done with a more covert infiltration planned (or likely already in progress)

by Fritz | 21st Jul 20, 6:44pm 1595313859

Source for more virologists claiming that?

by Hook | 21st Jul 20, 7:23pm 1595316197

More "fake news" Fritz, why let facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory?

by Kaper2 | 22nd Jul 20, 10:10am 1595369459

Hook, you still believe the CCP, that it came from a bat at a seafood market?
Just down the road from the only virology lab in the world doing experimental biology on coronaviruses?

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 10:49pm 1595328589

https://www.minervanett.no/corona/the-most-logical-explanation-is-that-…
https://www.independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/a-proposed-origin-f…
Read the last paragraph about the conflicts of interest that are preventing open discussion of the virus origin in the research community. PRC has tremendous power over publishers, and a lot of virologists are very worried about impact of lab origin on their careers.

by Boatman | 21st Jul 20, 3:51pm 1595303474

Except that ethnic Chinese living in NZ now make up a sizeable population since Helen Clark ( without the "e" for Gareth Vaughan with two 'a's ) signed the free trade agreement with China , thus allowing mainland Chinese free access to buy our properties .

And now there are lots of them , they are entitled to be represented in parliament like Islanders or Maori .

Now watch the comments fly !

by Timmyboy | 21st Jul 20, 4:02pm 1595304166

And to be free of CCP pressure or influence.

by gingerninja | 21st Jul 20, 4:08pm 1595304482

Being a Chinese immigrant has nothing to do with the CCP. We don't conflate being a Kiwi with being Labour or National. The issue is that the two Chinese MP's were strongly linked to the CCP, which is undemocratic because no one in NZ can vote for the CCP.

by Fritz | 21st Jul 20, 6:45pm 1595313936

Quite a few mainland Chinese I know hate the CCP. That's often a key reason they left!

by Brock Landers | 21st Jul 20, 4:47pm 1595306856

Individual constituents are entitled to be represented, not identity groups.

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 5:10pm 1595308257

Wrongthink. What about Maori seats?

by PocketAces | 21st Jul 20, 5:24pm 1595309044

Wrongthink, we must always maintain representation for tangata whenua, because without it, their kaupapa is completely swallowed up by the pakeha asystem in their own land. I will stand by their remaining as long as my rear end points to the ground (which it does more and more as time rolls on)

by Noncents | 21st Jul 20, 6:43pm 1595313817

I have the option of going on the Maori roll, however I refuse to do it. A citizen is a citizen, and as such all votes should be equal. Our individual history cannot be changed or erased, but we all share our future. As my 4 year old says "Sharing is Caring".

Personally, I don't think the "system" stops or disuades Maori representation, any more than any other group/individual. We have Maori MPs in 4/5 of the current Parties in Parliament. I think the fact that we have a Maori electorates, yet a Maori party couldn't get a single MP into Parliament shows how unreliable it is as a form of representation.

I also question the ongoing viability of such a roll, at what point do you stop people being eligible? 1/16th? 1/32? 1/64th? 1/128th? etc....
I have a friend who is 1/128th Maori, 1/2 Polish, 1/4 Scottish, 1/16 English, 1/16 Welsh, and 15/128 other. Their 3 kids will be 1/2 South African, so 1/256th Maori - yet still retain the same level of racially based representation? It just does not seem right.

by PocketAces | 21st Jul 20, 9:39pm 1595324377

The representation is less racial and more cultural, I really struggle to see how people cannot see this and I cannot for the life of me understand why people get so upset that we reserve a place for it.
All of those other nationalities/cultures you mentioned have their own representation in their countries of origin, why people think Maori culture should not have representation in its own home is totally beyond me.
Try thinking of it as cultural and you just might begin to understand why it is necessary particular representation of it should remain, anywhere else the native culture of a country is the dominant one, not just a condescending tack on.

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 11:00pm 1595329225

I could see the same arguments being made for whites in south africa. Would that be OK? What does 'representation in their countries of origin" have to do with people who were not born there and in most case have never visited them? Could we not say the same of Maori's origins in the pacific islands just 3-400 years before Europeans? Really your stance is just a muddle of rationalizations for racial/cultural favoritism/preferentialist policies which is always ugly and destructive.

by PocketAces | 22nd Jul 20, 6:39am 1595356758

Holy cow, it's like you did not take one word of what I said in. No there is no argument for applying the same thought to whites in South Africa, remember who it is whose land that was, prior to being claimed by white people. You, by arguing that Maori should NOT have specific representation in their own land, are the one promoting cultural favouritism over that of the original people of this land.
I know you and those who think like you will never even try to understand, so I am not going to bother to argue further with obstinence.

by Noncents | 22nd Jul 20, 7:10am 1595358654

"All of those other nationalities/cultures you mentioned have their own representation in their countries of origin, "

Really, I can not think of a single other nation that has a segregated electoral system. If I moved to say Ireland, Croatia, India, Mexico, Brazil, etc.... and became a citizen, I vote with the same power as a local national, or the indigienous culture. If they move here, they don't.

MMP gives a 5% threshold for a party to get into parliament, arguably this could be lowered. But at 16.5% of the population, Maori should be easily able to vote for representation in this manner, without needing their own form of racially (Eligibility for the Maori roll is not culturally) based system.

by PocketAces | 22nd Jul 20, 7:25am 1595359541

Well since 2012 we could have had a lowered threshhold when the review of MMP which many people contributed to, me included, but that recommendation and others that came out of it, were simply assigned to the rubbish bin by one Judith Collins. They did not even reach the debating chamber. Of all the things I will never forgive that woman for, that is the main one.
And I am sorry, but representation for the culture of the original people of this land should remain in stone.
And tell me again, how it is the culture of the indigenous people around the world is assured in the houses of power in somewhere like Brazil, where their homeland is being felled around them. If they had proper representation in their own country, perhaps that might be being done.
Try thinking with the mind of others rather than just assuming that the western way is the default setting for the human race.

by gingerninja | 21st Jul 20, 4:03pm 1595304237

There is a large group of China and China descended immigrants in NZ and it is right and proper that NZ government is a representative of its population, including immigrant populations but the two recent Chinese MP's who have stood down had direct links to the CCP and I cannot for the life of me see how that is in NZ's best interests. Why is Chinese immigrant background being conflated with CCP representation? If you are living in NZ, you are being governed by an NZ democratically elected party, not the CCP. It's anti-democratic to have NZ politicians who have an express desire in promoting CCP values. CCP have their own diplomats and foreign ministers to do that, and those CCP representative meet with NZ politicians and businesses all the time. NZ politicians have an *exclusive* role in promoting the well being of New Zealanders, regardless of origins.

Professor Brady named Huo as someone who "works very closely with PRC representatives in New Zealand" and had connections to the United Front, a Chinese government department that promotes the CCP's values at home and with the Chinese diaspora.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/112337573/labour-mp-raymond-h…

by Believer1980 | 21st Jul 20, 4:17pm 1595305042

The allegations of connection to the CCP can easily be extended to anyone of Chinese origin. How do you propose to weed out CCP implants without discouraging chinese NZers from seeking political engagement Ninja?

by brisket | 21st Jul 20, 4:44pm 1595306691

Yes, it's a genuine problem. I want Chinese representation in our Parliament, but I don't want them to be too susceptible to Chinese gov't influence. Realistically, that means 2nd-generation NZ-Chinese.

by RickStrauss | 21st Jul 20, 4:46pm 1595306796

Or someone who's barely escaped Hong Kong with their shirt intact?

by paashaas | 21st Jul 20, 5:27pm 1595309263

Lab Chinese name filter will not know the difference.

by CourtJester | 21st Jul 20, 7:28pm 1595316526

And apparently Nats have difficulties telling the difference between Kiwi-Korean and Chinese people

by RickStrauss | 21st Jul 20, 8:29pm 1595320193

Not to mention, Maori.

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 5:13pm 1595308431

Still not safe - PRC can (and does) threaten and harm relatives in China to ensure compliance of offshore Chinese relatives.

by Believer1980 | 21st Jul 20, 5:25pm 1595309143

It is a little bit frustrating to see people are looking at the ethnicity of people as the source of threat. NZ has its intelligence and anti-spying agencies. Either they can be trusted to manage the risk of influential people with potential conflicts (including preventing implants from entering our political system) or not. An ethnic based system is a terrible and frightening prospect for a country like NZ with so many immigrants from all over the world.

Also, surely the greater risk is the non-chinese politicians who are happy to sell themselves to foreign interest. At present, both National and Labour have maybe three MPs with chinese background (two of them resigning soon). Are they so corrupt or incompetent that this is all it take? in that case, the future is surely doomed.

by NZChinese | 21st Jul 20, 6:16pm 1595312165

Enough gen 2 or 3 ethnic Chinese kiwis live in NZ. No need to worry. You need to understand the diversity within the ethnic Chinese community.

by gingerninja | 21st Jul 20, 7:06pm 1595315206

There are more than enough NZ citizens with Chinese cultural or ethnic backgrounds who could be part of a diverse political representation without promoting CCP. So why did we end up with two MP's with direct connections to the CCP and overt affiliation with that agenda? Surely we can legitimately ask whether both Labour and National were aware of the affiliation to the CCP and that this motivated their selection of both these MP's? And if so, how and why is this case?

by NZChinese | 21st Jul 20, 9:43pm 1595324604

I think our political parties were inexperienced in dealing with the United Front in general. It was natural for them to select people like Huo and Yang when so many mainland Chinese immigrants like myself arrived in NZ since the beginning of the 2000s. By the book, it is how you maximise minority votes in a democracy. In that sense, our political parties were doing the best for their benefits. I don't think Huo or Yang was part of CCP's plan - they might not have any until Key's era. The bottom line is United Front is a living thing; it adapts and adjusts continuously.

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 11:08pm 1595329733

I am not at all worried about Chinese immigrants in NZ as a group, their children become great kiwis, hell I grew up in a town with a few families descended from chinese who came to NZ in the 1850's. But I am worried about the hegemonic ambitions of the PRC leadership and their willingness to do almost anything to further their agenda, the ongoing Uigher genocide bearing testament to that. The world needs to be on guard.

by Noncents | 21st Jul 20, 6:51pm 1595314278

Australia has managed it with their Constitution - no foreign interests.
US has managed it with their President as well - natural born citizen and over 35 to boot.

We could easily manage the issue via allowing citizens only to vote. I am sure that future questionable MPs would find it significantly harder to get in when they have to appeal solely to citizens.

by Uninterested | 21st Jul 20, 7:13pm 1595315610

Hopefully they don't watch the brainwashing on the Chinese channels on Choice TV or listen to their carefully selected Chinese language tutors....

by gingerninja | 21st Jul 20, 5:22pm 1595308973

I disagree. There is a world of difference between the level of involvement that Yang is known to have had with the CCP or Huo's known interference with evidence from Brady to being Chinese born and becoming a NZ citizen. Both Yang and Huo have been shown to have behave in ways that promote and represent CCP's best interests, rather than NZ citizens best interests. Not to mention that no one voted for these two MP's, they were chosen by their respective parties. If Yang and Huo were part of diplomatic or interest group that wanted to promote the CCP within NZ that would be different but the role of a NZ politicians should be to EXCLUSIVELY represent the interests of NZ citizens. Chinese immigrant NZ are Kiwis, their interests should have nothing to do with the CCP either.

I don't expect a NZ politician to promote British interests as part of my citizenship in NZ as a British expat. I don't even expect to see British immigrants in NZ politics, I would prefer not to tbh. I don't care where a politician from, I just care that they promote the betterment of NZ with no conflict of interest.

by Lapun | 21st Jul 20, 8:16pm 1595319373

Very easy to weed them out. A single criticism of the CCP. Something to do with Uighur's in concentration camps not being a good look or organ harvesting of Falun Gong prisoners or many other issues. At least a fervent supporter of any NZ political party will not slavishly agree with every single party policy (except for cabinet members and even they clearly grit their teeth when supporting their leader of some issues).
Any neutral observer has to admit the CCP govt has had major successes they and the Chinese people can deservably be proud of but the same neutral observer will find a few faults with CCP policy (eg President for Life is a worry).

by Contrarian | 21st Jul 20, 4:08pm 1595304527

Well, for a change, the proactive nature of this announcement is welcome.

by xingmowang | 21st Jul 20, 4:12pm 1595304746

Welcome to the People's United Party of New Zealand.

by Timmyboy | 21st Jul 20, 4:19pm 1595305178

Why are you promoting a political party to contest an election in a democracy?

Shouldn't you be advocating for an un-elected dictatorship like what you have in your beloved motherland?

by realterms | 21st Jul 20, 4:45pm 1595306747

Did you have a nice holiday? We almost missed the comedy value.

by lastredact | 21st Jul 20, 5:26pm 1595309193

You have to have at least 500 members to form a political party here. Not 1.

by Uninterested | 21st Jul 20, 7:08pm 1595315297

I am putting my name forward to be a senior member of the CCP. Lets see how far I get with that.... haha.

by Chris-M | 21st Jul 20, 4:13pm 1595304810

I don't think that we should have any MPs who have not been born here, grown up and spent their whole life here. We do not value ourselves and our own culture sufficiently and seem only too willing to sacrifice it on the alter of political correctness.

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 5:31pm 1595309493

So bye bye Genter, Ghahramen and 3 or 4 Labour MPs?

by realterms | 21st Jul 20, 5:51pm 1595310683

I'd think there's a fair few aus or UK born at least.

That's leaving aside that it's a terrible idea. Something like 30% of NZ is foreign born, one way or the other.

Oh, you didn't mean born in *those* countries?

by Noncents | 21st Jul 20, 6:57pm 1595314640

"Something like 30% of NZ is foreign born, one way or the other."

Therein lies the root cause of nearly all our other issues. Immigrants are fine, unfrestricted immigration is not.

by realterms | 21st Jul 20, 7:10pm 1595315446

I think there's a case to be made there, and I'm among that foreign-born number. But it's not what started this little thread.

by gingerninja | 21st Jul 20, 9:36pm 1595324201

I'm also foreign born and very political. However, I wouldn't presume to understand NZ culture, politics or community well enough to enter NZ politics and expect to be able to do a good enough job representing Kiwis best interests. I sure as shit don't consider it appropriate to think I have a right to represent *British* interests in NZ, regardless of how many British immigrants (2nd, 3rd or 4th gen is irrelevant). I wouldn't even want that. This isn't a skin colour or ethnicity thing. Understanding and representing a countries interests and cultures is a highly complex and nuanced task. I would consider British and New Zealand culture to be distinct enough for me, as a Brit born and raised, to be unable to represent the interests of NZ-ers. Our cultures may share some heritage but I still see them as distinct. My kids have become very Kiwi however. They are very immersed in the culture and values of NZ (which i encourage), so if they wanted to enter politics as adults and showed other merits to recommend them to the profession, I would consider that viable.

Not to say that there should be a hard and fast rule on when someone is Kiwi enough to represent NZ politically, but I do think someone representing NZ should be Kiwi enough to be able to represent NZ-ers politically. What is or isn't Kiwi will always change and evolve of course, and some people immerse in a culture more quickly and easily than others but someone who is CCP value orientated is fundamentally and categorically not Kiwi. Not from a Maori perspective, or a a EU settler perspective. If NZ votes to become some kind of outpost of the CCP that would be different. But i'm pretty sure that has never been offered at the ballot.

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 11:17pm 1595330222

Yeah I don't think it's fair. Maybe a requirement that must have lived here for some minimum length of time would be reasonable, eg 10-20 years.

by Chris-M | 21st Jul 20, 7:03pm 1595315016

Yes

by Brock Landers | 21st Jul 20, 11:25pm 1595330746

This sounds great.

by Lapun | 21st Jul 20, 8:22pm 1595319724

That is your opinion so vote accordingly. Maybe it is a fair point about list MPs - at least a debateable point. However their should be no restrictions on the attributes of an electorate MP - if the voters want the most weird and evil person to represent them then so be it. For example in Northern Ireland they elected IRA supporters who refused to go to Westminster - that was their right.

by Wrong John | 21st Jul 20, 4:15pm 1595304959

Where's that Billy Connelly clip. Tell them to.....

by Chinaman1 | 21st Jul 20, 4:28pm 1595305729

Sad to see you go Raymond. You served your country well!

by Lanthanide | 21st Jul 20, 4:37pm 1595306238

Which one?

by PocketAces | 21st Jul 20, 4:52pm 1595307131

With new Chinese laws having far reaching possible consequences, if he had remained in the govt, he would never be able to return to China without being under threat of arrest and being charged.

by Brock Landers | 21st Jul 20, 4:52pm 1595307143

Perhaps our five eyes partners were starting to ask some serious questions.

by NZChinese | 21st Jul 20, 6:12pm 1595311960

Another guy did very little to the ethnic Chinese community over the years. So far the most competent ethnic Chinese was Pansy Wong who originated from HK.

by Uninterested | 21st Jul 20, 8:01pm 1595318460

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/outgoing-labour-mp-takes-swipe-seni…
Didn't submit her application in time. Haha.
However we still have Bridges and Parker to worry about...

by Taxbreak | 21st Jul 20, 7:29pm 1595316567

Labour Party has a new chinese candidate, Naisi Chen, running in the Botany electorate. According to wikipedia, Naisi Chen ran for the East Coast Bays seat in 2017. Labour Party website notes Naisi Chen as 40th on the party list.

Newsroom article on Huo's retirement (and Huo's mention of Naisi Chen) refers to Prof Anne-Marie Brady's comments in her "Magic Weapons" paper that Naisi Chen also has close United Front connections.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/labour-mp-raymond-huo-announces-retirement

Labour replacing one CCP sleeper with another?

by loveyourwork | 21st Jul 20, 9:14pm 1595322867

Mmmm it does make you think.. Is it tactical to see someone born in China with links to CCP running in an electorate which has a higher proportion of Chinese-born ? I too have no issue with Chinese people however when situations like these arise with CCP I am deeply cynical.

I am somewhat surprised and impressed with Jacinda maintaining our right to speak on CCP atrocities.

by Foyle | 21st Jul 20, 11:19pm 1595330371

Maybe impossible for an ethnic chinese candidate to attract the required support to get a high list ranking without the nod from the PRC

by Fritz | 21st Jul 20, 9:43pm 1595324618

This submission from Anne-Marie Brady is eye opening. Really convinces me that the CCP really are actively influencing our political parties, especially National. I'd really like to see people interrogate the parties on this during the election campaign.

The carrot and stick approach is interesting. Maybe our friend who consistently posts pro-CCP views on this website is benefiting from some of those 'carrots'...

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/05/08/575479/anne-marie-bradys-full-sub…

by Somebloke | 22nd Jul 20, 7:40am 1595360446

When I first arrived in NZ PR seemed like a progressive system, however the list MP aspect leaves democracy open to all sorts of abuses. Unelected parties (winston) and foreign powers having a mostly unaccountable and disproportionate degree of control are two of the worst. Instead of having one clear winner you get a room full of losers.

by mikekirk29 | 22nd Jul 20, 10:37am 1595371079

patently the Mother ship is calling them home.
Expect quiet leaving of NZ in a few months
China is pulling its horns in for internalisation